There are numerous weatherboard designs on the market. The most important feature of a weatherboard design is its cross-sectional profile. This profile dictates the way in which the weatherboards should be installed and the overall appearance of the weatherboard cladding after installation. Commonly, weatherboards are designed to be installed in an overlapping relationship with each other and can be fixed horizontally, vertically or on an angle. Further, some weatherboard designs include grooves that, when installed, cooperate with the grooves of overlapping like weatherboards to provide anti-capillary channels. Such channels prevent moisture from getting in behind the weatherboards and causing damage.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show cross-sectional and front views of a known weatherboard design 10. The rear surface 11 of the weatherboard 10 has a sloped portion 12 that is arranged to abut the framing 16 of a building when installed and this enables like weatherboards to be installed in a partial overlapping relationship with each other as shown in FIG. 3. Weatherboards having this design are also provided with wide grooves 13 and 14 along the front 15 and rear 11 surfaces respectively. When such weatherboard cladding is installed, the grooves of each weatherboard cooperate with the grooves of overlapping weatherboards to create anti-capillary channels 17 shown in FIG. 3.
During installation, the weatherboards shown in FIGS. 1-3 are typically fixed to the framing 16 one at a time from the bottom up such that the weatherboards are parallel and have an even overlap up the framing. One method of aligning the weatherboards is to ascertain the required level and then rest the next weatherboard to be installed on a line of nails partially nailed in, which are removed once the weatherboard has been nailed into place.
Referring to FIG. 4, it has become increasingly common for cavity battens 19 to be provided between the framing 16 and weatherboards 10. The battens 19 create cavities between the framing 16 or wall of the building and the weatherboards 10 and these cavities provide a drainage path for water and/or moisture that may penetrate in behind the weatherboards. The use of cavity battens is particularly desirable in coastal properties or buildings that are situated in exposed areas that have harsh weather conditions. The cavity battens are used to form drainage channels and the increased drainage allowed by the cavities reduces the likelihood of water or moisture penetrating the framing cavity, the cause of internal structural and interior lining rotting and decay.
In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved fixing system fox cladding, or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.